Catching the Cold Bug
by The-Fourth-Queen
Summary: Ladybug tries to deny that she's caught the cold. And she doesn't want help from Chat. Fluff where Chat tries to convince his lady to take it easy. But that stubbornness, it's kinda cute in a way... And since this cold bug is going around, of course he's going to drop in to see his Marinette. He just didn't expect to sneeze himself.
1. Ladybug

_Dedicated to my sister- she was the one who helped give me the idea of Ladybug catching the cold bug._

* * *

At his lady's third consecutive sneeze, Chat Noir turned to look at her full in the face- the red, red face that rivaled her suit.

Chat Noir shook his head sadly and announced, "Bugaboo- you caught a bug."

She sniffed, but immediately replied, "I did not!"

The girl was hunched over, hands covering the bottom half of her face and expression twisted in anticipation of yet another sneeze. The sight reminded Chat of his own allergies- but as far as he knew, Ladybug had no allergies. So it could only be the cold.

And her head was thrown back in another high sneeze. The force surprised her, and it showed with her widened eyes.

"Bless you,"

He sighed, and watched her try to wipe her nose with the soaked tissue she had brought. She wouldn't accept the handkerchief he had earlier offered her. It took at least a dozen attempts for her to outright tell him to drop it, but Chat was never one to easily back down- especially when it came to Ladybug's wellbeing.

"Milady," Chat tried again, this time tilting his head to watch her, "I can handle the patrol alone tonight…"

Ladybug shook her head, and her voice came out a bit more raspy than usual, "No way Chat Noir- we're a team."

And a little bit of pride swelled in Chat's chest- it happens every single time Ladybug calls him her partner, and Chat didn't think he would ever stop being proud to be by her side. Even at that moment- where she wasn't in the best of her abilities and more than a little off her game, Chat Noir was just about as content as a kitten snuggled by the fire.

"ACHOO!"

Chat jumped, and out of pure reflex brought his hands to shield his face. But his lady had just the right amount of time to turn away to put Chat out of the danger zone. He frowned deeply when she continued to gasp for breath between her too many sneezes. But she didn't make any attempt to take the handkerchief he was still gripping.

Chat stepped closer to her, "Well bless you again,"

But she turned her back to him, "Don't come closer, Kitty- you might catch it from me."

Chat rolled her eyes, but side-stepped her so that soon he was right in front of her. He held out his light silk handkerchief, and dangled it in front of her, "Would Milady accept mine gift?"

Ladybug gave him a kind smile- or what she could have given amidst her half sneeze, "No thanks Cha… Ah…Ah…"

Her face raised, and her mouth opened slightly just as her eyes fluttered close- Chat Noir pushed the handkerchief into her hands just in time for her, "ACHOO!"

She brought his hanky to her nose and it covered her face much better than the tissue ever could. Chat waited with a small pout- she looked absolutely miserable but was still trying to do her job. Now _that_ was dedication. It was one of the many qualities he adored about his partner.

But as Ladybug wiped her nose with both hands clutching his handkerchief, a surge of protectiveness came over the boy with such a strong force that he had to resist the urge to tuck away the stray hairs from her face. It was a good thing she pushed her hair back behind her ears- but she was still red in the face.

"Ladybug…" Chat whined, and she cracked open her eyes to look at him through slits, "Yes Chat Noir?"

Chat's eyes softened, and he sighed once again. This time, he didn't resist his gentleness when he spoke to her, "Go home Bugaboo, and get some rest."

She frowned, and her hands dropped away from her face even as he continued to talk, "I'll do the patrol by myself…"

Ladybug shook her head roughly, and she raised a free hand to cut him off, "It's not fair for you to do the patrol alone-"

Then he cut her off with an even softer voice, "But you're sick."

Ladybug turned away from him, and held her head high, "I'm not _that_ sick! I could still run!"

"The only thing running for you is your nose." Chat deadpanned, and he pointed at her tinted face. The girl immediately brought up the hanky to her face, and she frowned at him, "That's not the point."

Chat put his hands on his hips, and watched as she blew her nose. She straightened herself, and tried not to sneeze again by clamping her nose down- but the sneeze was coming anyways.

"Oh Bugaboo," Chat shook his head again, and she turned away from him to prepare for her sneeze, "If you don't want me to patrol alone, call Rena Rouge,"

"She has a… a…"

"Cold?"

"Yea-CHOO!"

Chat winced at the power in that shout, and he heard his partner sniff loudly and he saw her aggressively wipe her nose. But he still didn't move from beside her, and he walked around her to watch her in the face- but her eyes were closed again.

Chat placed a light hand on her shoulder, and leaned a little closer to look at her full in the face, "Go home Bugaboo- I'll take it from here."

"I don't think it's a good… good…"

"Come on Buganette!"

Ladybug's head snapped up, and her eyes flew open, "What did you just… oh never mind."

Chat tilted his head, and then pouted at her once more, "Please get some rest."

And he pulled out the kitten eyes, "I don't like it when you're sick!"

"But I have a job to do… and-"

"And you can't do your superhero job if you're sick."

"But…"

He held up his hand to cut her off, "No buts,"

And he continued before she could protest, "You're sick Bugaboo,"

And when Ladybug's eyes flickered up to his, he saw the acceptance. It just took a little pressing and she finally resigned. He took a mental note that she was less stubborn when tired. It might come in use when she was being too difficult.

Ladybug brought up the handkerchief to pat her nose, "Thank you Chat Noir,"

The boy took a step back, and dropped his hand from her shoulders to give a dramatic shrug, "It's the least I could do."

Ladybug nodded, and her eyes felt to the handkerchief. And in a more expressive version of a gasp, she squeaked and pulled the hanky to her eyes, "Wha…"

Chat's eyes widened, and he leaned closer in his ever curious manner, "What's wrong?"

Ladybug jabbed at the hanky, "Look! It's…"

Chat recognized the stylish letters before Ladybug finished her sentence, and it caused the boy to pale.

Ladybug held it up for him, "Agreste! This is Adrien's handkerchief!"

Chat pulled back, and brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, "Er… yes it is!"

Ladybug smiled a brilliant one, and brought the hanky closer to inspect it, "Why didn't I recognize it before? Only Adrien has these! Look at the hand-stitched embriodery…"

Chat looked away, "Um… I'm sure other kids walk with handkerchiefs like those too…"

Ladybug shook her head again, "This is Adrien's- I'm sure… but…" her eyes flickered to meet Chat's, "How did you get this?"

"I found it." Chat broke her gaze when she asked, "Where?"

Chat gulped, and he sent a helpless glance up at the sky… Now what did Plagg say? The best lies are the ones that have truth in them?

Chat spoke with a tiny hitch of pitch in his voice, "I found it in Adrien's room."

Ladybug's eyebrow shot up, "How?"

"When I visited his room- he lent me this handkerchief to wipe my hands. And so I kept it."

Ladybug accepted the answer- only because she was attacked by another sneezing frenzy. And before she could ask more about Adrien's handkerchief, Chat practically chased her back home. And she went- but for some odd reason, wouldn't stop clutching the hanky. He shrugged it off as her needing it to wipe her nose.

Chat turned away, and didn't watch the direction in which she fled. But he also had to ignore her sneezing- for they followed her trail and left a lingering scent.

Chat smiled, and looked over the beloved city. But as soon as he was ready to take off, he found himself attacked by the sudden urge to check up on Marinette- she was looking rather red in the face that morning in school. Right after patrol he would check on her. And Chat Noir took off with a grin on his face.


	2. Marinette

Patrol was a breeze.

In fact, patrol was so breezy that Chat found himself involuntarily shivering even after he had scanned Paris twice. And by the time he was done- it was far too early stay at home. He did drop in, to feed Plagg and to collect another handkerchief to push into his pocket. He slowly transformed, and clambered out of his window again. There wasn't anything much to do on such a night. And besides, he promised himself he would visit a certain ebony.

Chat gulped, and clutched his arms closer to himself, "I'll just drop in to see Marinette,"

A particularly biting wind circled him, small leaves attacking Chat's face. The cat turned away, biting his cheek as he prepared himself to run once again.

"Five minutes-" he whispered, letting his hands fall to his side, "And I'll be out of this cruel, cruel night,"

And just for drama's sake, he glared at the three dark leaves that remained riding in the wind. And if Chat didn't know better, he could have sworn that those leaves looked a little suspicious as they danced right above his head. Leaves couldn't be akumatized… could they?

Chat shook his head, "Nah…"

And off he went, depending on his senses to lead him all the way to the familiar bakery. It didn't take long before the scent caught his nose- no matter how he tried, he would always catch some aroma or the other that tempted him to appear in front of Marinette's bakery with a basket and maybe a dollar- or a hundred.

But Chat _knew_ that if he really asked Marinette, she would give him as much sweets as he desired. She really was that sweet and kindhearted. And for some reason, there was always an abundant of cookies in her room. It never occurred to Chat why the girl would stash so much goodies up there when she herself didn't eat that much. Maybe she had a pet or something… Maybe a friend who ate a bunch of cookies but was too small to be noticed- maybe magic… Who knows… Maybe Marinette had a cookie-eating little pet…

"Achoo!"

Chat jumped far too high than he ought to- the dainty sound startling his sensitive ears. Chat smiled softly, taking just a second to hear the soft voice of Marinette saying, "Excuse me…"

Chat leaped atop the balcony, balancing on the railings and relying on his tail to keep him just a bit more balanced. He tilted his head, listening to pinpoint the exact location of his little friend. And sure enough, she sneezed again.

Chat grinned, she was right on her futon. The tiny half-bed, half-couch thing that he loved to laze around on- when she allowed him of course. He wouldn't have even sat on it if she hadn't invited him to, wouldn't want to push the boundaries and have her chasing him out with a shriek and a spray of water.

Chat shivered at the unpleasant thought- but Marinette was simply too nice to treat him that way. Why, he could waltz into her bedroom right now and she would welcome him with a plate of magically appearing cookies. She really was a really good friend to him.

Chat dropped down on the hatch that opened up to her bedroom, he tapped at the door, listening not-too-hard for her upcoming footsteps. Sure enough, he heard her sneeze and clamber up the ladder on her bed.

 _Clip, clop, clip, clop- "Achoo!" clip…_

Chat inhaled slightly, noticing how much more close her scent was. But something was different. Chat wrinkled his nose, the harsh scent of cold medicine attacking his nostrils and causing him to stick out his tongue in disgust.

And that was the manner Marinette found him in when she opened her door to peer out. The girl arched a brow, but didn't look away from his wide-eyes, tongue-out, wrinkled-nose face.

"Chat?"

How could someone with such a sweet voice sound so teasing and innocent at the same time? Marinette stuck out her own tongue, and mirrored her friend, "Bleep to you too Kitty,"

Chat chuckled, and tilted his head. He greeted her softly, but took these few seconds to take in as much of her image as he possibly could.

Marinette was a pretty cute girl- but at that moment, she looked pretty messy. Chat frowned slightly at how red her face was, much more than what his precious Bugaboo had been earlier that night. And Marinette's eyes were sunken in, those bluebell beauties looking exhausted but still managing to sparkle in the dim light.

Chat's frown was traded for a grin, "Hello _Purrincess_!"

Marinette giggled, but this time, her voice was deeper strained. The girl flushed slightly, and cleared her throat. She turned her head away, and coughed into her hands. Chat watched a very familiar handkerchief wipe her nose.

Chat arched a brow, his tail swishing behind him as his thoughts travelled, "Hey… isn't that an Agreste handkerchief?"

Marinette's eyes grew to saucers, her jaw slackening and she managed to turn another shade of red, "Huh?"

Chat shrugged it off- he must have lent her in school and forgot. But the thought didn't sit well with him- he knew _exactly_ where each and every of his handkerchiefs were. His father had given him six after all- ever since he made a complete nuisance of himself when that Pigeon Man tried to take over Paris. It had to be one of the most sufferable times of his life, and the elder Agreste had gifted his son with six of them.

Chat rolled his shoulders, "Oh never mind,"

He tilted his head further, "I came here to check up on you Marinette,"

The girl's eyes softened, then widened once again, "Me?"

Chat nodded, "Yep," and he let his concern slip out in his tone, "You weren't looking too well earlier today,"

Marinette giggled again, but a set of coughs attacked her throat and she held it back down bravely with a strained voice, "The cold bug's been going around,"

"I know," Chat grinned at his friend, _Bugaboo had caught the cold bug too_.

Marinette's eyes flickered to Chat's bell, and then to his tail, "So… Chat…"

She gripped her- _his_ handkerchief tighter, and her eyes didn't his, "Since I've got this cold… and you don't… I was thinking that you should leave before… before…ah… ah…"

Chat winced, and braced himself for the inevitable, "ACHOO!"

Marinette pitched back, her head colliding with the back of her door, and thus dropped the handkerchief down into her room. Chat peered after it, noticing that if Marinette wanted it back, she would have to leave him. Outside. In the cold. Alone.

"Um… Bless you?" Chat smiled at her in hopes of her returning it.

Marinette sniffed, and looked sadly at the fallen piece of cloth, "Oh no…"

Chat grinned, and leaned closer to her to prove his following point, "I thought you knew _Purrincess_ , that it's not so easy for us cats to catch bugs,"

Marinette's eyes widened, but then it settled into the familiar teasing smirk that Chat was used to seeing far more than Adrien did, "Are you referring to yourself not getting ever getting a chance with Ladybug?"

Chat pouted, aiming for her smile, "Meowch, but yeah…" his eyes drifted to his side and his hand went up to awkwardly rub his neck, "I kinda was referring to her,"

Marinette giggled, her throat still raw, "Oh _Chaton_ …"

She looked behind her, "Come on in- I'll get some cookies,"

Even if Chat tried, he wouldn't have been able to keep the glow off his face when Marinette mentioned that. In fact, he grinned so widely that his cheeks protested for a second, but his ears perked up. He could literally feel his tail swishing back and forth in excitement at the thought of spending quality time with such a good friend.

Marinette sighed in what Chat hoped was content and amusement, but before he could comment, he recognized the telltale of disaster coming their way. Her widened eyes, the flared nostrils, the gaping mouth. Then she was leaning her head back, eyes drifting shut… now…

Chat grabbed the handkerchief from his pocket to push it at Marinette before he was sprayed with germs, the girl grabbed it just in time to deliver a rather loud sneeze.

Chat nodded sadly, "Bless you,"

Marinette blew her nose on his handkerchief, "Thank you Chat Noir…"

Her eyes reopened, and blinked slowly at the item at her face. Chat watched her calmly, not at all predicting any danger.

Marinette's lips tightened, and she held the cloth in front of her face, "Is this… another Agreste handkerchief?"

Chat ignored the panic swelling up inside of him, and his tail swooshed calmly behind him, "Yeah, and?"

 _Please don't make any connections…_

Marinette squinted at it, "You had… two?"

 _Please don't assume anything…_

Marinette's eyes flickered at his, and he had to swallow to nerves that bubbled up to threaten his calm exterior, "Did he give this one to you too?"

 _Please don't_ – oh what's the use? She's bound to put two and two together eventually. She literally hangs around both sides of the nearly every day. At school, she sits behind Adrien. And on some nights, more often than he'd like to admit, she chats with Chat.

Chat leaned closer to her, giving her his best mischievous grin, "Guess how I got this one,"

Marinette was not amused, her face fell into something he recognized as annoyance, "He gave it to you after you used his bathroom?"

 _Oh… new plan… new lie_.

Chat shook his head, "Nope- this one was given after he gave me a midnight snack,"

Marinette wasn't buying it. But when Chat gave her another dazzling smile, he could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she accepted his answer. What other explanation could she fathom? Nowhere close to the truth he hoped- for both their sakes.

Marinette gestured below, "Come on in Kitty," she slowly stepped down, "And don't forget to pull in the door behind you- but don't bolt it! You have to leave _before_ midnight."

He never did.


	3. Fluff

_Author's Note:_

 _Months and no update huh? I'm sorry for the wait, but I didn't want a plot until I realized I could have had one. It was already hinted in the hankies, so here's another cute chapter, enjoy!_

 _Don't forget- your reviews make my day pawsome!_

* * *

Marinette was lovely company, as always. Though their soft conversations were littered with her occasional sneezes and sniffles, Chat enjoyed being with her. Especially tonight. She didn't seem in a hurry to do anything, and she was content to just sit on her bed and talk.

They must have talked about everything by now- games, food, favorite hobbies but he could always appreciate the fact that Marinette constantly reminded him to keep his identity a secret. But at this rate, she knew enough about him to be deemed a very good friend.

Midnight came and left them lying on Marinette's bed, hunched over her sketchbook, debating whether moss green or soft pink suited the socks. Chat personally liked the green one, while Marinette argued the implications of using pink. And when Chat suggested they make one sock green and the other pink, Marinette wacked him in the face with a pillow.

Chat laughed, pretending to struggle under her sheer strength as she pinned him down. She was interrupted by a little sneeze, not hesitating to grab that handkerchief. Chat watched her rub her nose, but he eyed the second handkerchief as well. It made him wonder, where _did_ she get the second one from? And earlier… how did she know he had the first one?

"Hey Marinette," he couldn't help casting a glance to his alter ego's many pictures on her wall, "How did you get Adrien's first handkerchief?"

"Huh?" she jumped, clearly unprepared for that question, "He um… dropped it."

Unlikely. Chat knew where each and every one of these handkerchiefs were. Four were in his room at that moment, one was just given to Marinette and the other to Ladybug… Chat took the handkerchief from her gently, studying it.

"But I gave this very one to Ladybug…" he murmured softly, eyeing Marinette, "How did you get it?"

"Oh… I…" she rubbed the back of her neck, clearly distressed, "Actually Chat," her eyes lowered and she sighed.

Chat leaned forward- out of curiosity and concern. Marinette explained slowly, "Ladybug dropped the first one by me, so I could give it back to Adrien on Monday."

"She… did?"

"Yes... She said they rightfully belonged to him..."

Marinette wouldn't lie. And Chat heard her sniff. It almost sounded as though he were crying, but Chat knew better. He returned the handkerchief to her, a sigh on his lips, saying Ladybug was right. Marinette gave him an odd look.

"It's late," Chat mentioned, glancing at the time. Marinette did too, and both their jaws dropped.

"It's TWO AM?" they cried together- and hushed each other because Marinette's parents were not far below.

Marinette groaned into her pillow, "I have to help in the bakery tomorrow,"

"And I have lessons," Chat muttered, clearly upset that he robbed himself of sleep.

Marinette shot him a look, smacking him with a pillow once more, "Your fault! You wanted to jump on the bed!"

"Well it was fun _last_ time," he protested with a laugh, and dodged so that he could grab the pillow and wrestle it from her. Marinette giggled and fought him. She won. Chat pretended he let her win.

Another hour slipped by and Chat caught himself yawning. Marinette teased him about taking more catnaps on the job, and he replied that he'd think about it. But when her eyes grew droopy and her words became murmurs, he bid her good night. Chat, albeit with great teasing, tucked her in bed, took off the lights and climbed up to her balcony.

"Bonne nuit Chaton," she whispered, and he paused, looking over his shoulder to see her sleepy smile.

"Bonne nuit Princess," he fought the urge to blow her a kiss.

He closed the window behind him, and let out a sigh in the cool air. He was more than surprised to see his breath as fog. He cast one more look to her, and wondered why this dopey grin wouldn't leave his face. She called him _Chaton_. That was so cute. Marinette was so cute. She was so much more easy-going when she was sick. And so easy to take care of. He'd love to tuck her in bed more often- it's a thought he'd entertain in the future. But would she let him tuck her in if she weren't sick? Highly unlikely.

Chat chuckled to himself as he sped across the rooftops, his baton allowing him to leap great heights. It may be early morning, but was Paris truly asleep? Chat paused, casting a quick glance to his surroundings. The city lights glowed and the moon smiled at him. He idly wondered if he should give Paris another patrol.

Maybe not. He had to be awake in less than five hours. And unless he wanted to act like a zombie and get his butt whooped by Kagami at fencing tomorrow, he needed a bit more rest. With that thought, Chat flipped through his bedroom window and de-tranformed just in time to collapse on his bed with eyes closed.

One second, two seconds… what was that smell? Adrien shot open his eyes to see Plagg in the midst of eating a wedge of cheese… above his hair. At the sight of Adrien's glare, Plagg dropped his cheese right onto Adrien's face.

"Plagg!" Adrien yelped, reaching into his drawers for his third handkerchief, "That's _gross_!"

Plagg cackled and finished off the rest of cheese, "You snooze you loose!"

Adrien shook his head, wiped his face and tried dusting out his pillow before realizing he needed to shake his entire sheet off. In a sleepy state, that was not a pleasant task.

Adrien grumbled to his kwami, "Didn't you know cheese before bed gives you nightmares?"

Of course Plagg would wave that off, "That's a myth,"

"No it's not. Nino told me that, so it must be true." Adrien justified, and Plagg chose not to comment. Mostly because he had fazed through his cheese safe and was attacking another piece of cheese.

Adrien groaned, dusting off his shoulders, " _This_ is why I give you plates,"

"They take up space and waste time,"

Adrien gave his kwami his most furrowed brow look, "Now I'm going to have to take a bath because of you."

"But you _looove_ baths," Plagg found it obvious to mention, "It's the model in you, remember?"

Sometimes, Adrien felt like painting those scented erasers yellow just to see Plagg's reaction. But Adrien was no villain, and he kept those evil little ideas to himself. The blonde chose to quickly strip and jump into the shower, aiming for a quick rinse in steamy hot water. Plagg popped his head in, and Adrien resisted the urge to chase the kwami- it would only make him talk more.

Plagg hovered on the knob, fascinated with it. Adrien warned him not to trouble it- told him it controlled the temperature, but what did the kwami do? The kwami gave the knob a full 180 degree turn that sent ice-cold water pelting onto Adrien's bare skin. One yelp and a few 'cold-cold-cold-cold!'s later, Adrien rescued himself from the cold shower and collapsed into bed with wet hair. It would dry itself… right?

"Goodnight Plagg," Adrien muttered, forcing his face into the pillow. He just wanted to sleep- the cold shower did nothing to help him fall asleep.

When Plagg didn't reply, Adrien cracked open an eye to see a hovering kwami. Adrien knew that face- and he sat up from his very comfortable spot to reach out to Plagg. Adrien held out his palms, and Plagg slowly sat in them. It was a touching position of trust that Adrien never took for granted.

"No, I'm not mad with you," Adrien reassured him, "Just… a bit sleepy, and I could be irritable when sleepy… but trust me when I say this is nothing compared to when I get sick,"

"You? Get sick?" Plagg teased, already in lifted spirits, "Impossible. Your schedule won't allow it,"

"Tell me about it," Adrien rolled his eyes and just as he was about to say something very funny to Plagg, a glimmer of light caught his eye.

Both kwami and boy looked out the window, where the dawn leaked into the morning sky. Adrien paled, the realization that he had gotten no sleep at all. Plagg didn't accept that so easily, the kwami dashed into Adrien's drawer and put the fourth hanky on Adrien's eyes. Impromptu sleeping mask- nice.

"You've got two hours kid, use it wisely!"

Adrien didn't need to be told twice. He curled into his pillow and dreamed of how cute Marinette looked when she tried to hold back her sneeze.


End file.
